Re: Drifter
by Operator Blake
Summary: Sakura in an abusive relationship. Her parents catch wind, and send her off with her Aunt Tsunade to a place called Konoha. Her Neighbor, Naruto Namikaze shares a lot in common with the girl. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. On this inside, she'll be introduced to a place where speed is passed down through generations, and honor is but a saying. NaruSaku Naru/Saku
1. Namikaze? Welcome To Konoha!

Oh, everything was normal for Sakura Haruno. Her long pink hair flowed to,her waist, and flowing naturally over her ears. Her hair also covered a tiny bit of each eye. Her day went fine, as usual, except for the fact her parents nearly broke her heart.

She was told she was moving to some place called 'Konoha'

_"We're sending you to live with Tsunade-Chan for a while Sakura-Chan. You need a new environment to be in."_

Those were the words that nearly broke her.

She was in a black sedan, driving down a forest-surrounded highway. She kept zoning out.

"Hey, Sakura-Chan, you ok? You keep zoning out on me. Make me worried." Said a middle aged blonde woman.

"Sorry Tsunade-Sama, I just am still a little shaken up by what's going on." Sakura replied, quietly. She had definitely been shaken up. She was glad in a way though, being able to escape her abusive boyfriend, Sasuke Uchiha.

"You don't have to call me Sama you know. Auntie Tsunade is fine, and don't worry. You'll be fine." Tsunade chuckled. It had been good to see her niece again. She was much older than when she last saw her, but she grew into a remarkable young woman.

"Really?" Sakura sarcastically asked. Tsunade let out a little laugh. Sakura reminded her of what she was like when she was young. Except maybe she wouldn't make the same romantic choices she did.

"Absolutley, especially when you meet my neighbors, the Namikazes." Tsunade quickly replied. It wasn't the time to dwell in the past. Her niece was with her now, and that's all she could ask for.

"Na-mi-ka-ze" Sakura said, while sounding it out.

"Especially when you meet their son, Naruto. He 17, just like you."

"I'm 16, Aunt Tsunade..." Sakura said trailing off.

"Sorry, guess time flies when you don't see your niece in five years." Tsunade said, laughing. Five years did fly by. Tsuande really did miss Sakura, but, that issue was resolved.

The car slowly turned into a spacious driveway. Tsunade grew a small smirk, awaiting Sakura's impeding mindfracked verbal spit out.

"Holy shit! Is this really your house Aunt Tsunade!?" Sakura said, looking at the miniature mansion.

"Damn straight, kiddo." Tsunade replied feeling, accomplished, which, mind you, she was. She was the head of the Konoha Hospital, one of the best Hospitals in the U.S.

They slowly got out of the car, when Tsunade rushed to Sakura's side, taking her hand, and running across a small lawn towards another house.

"Hey, where are we going?" Sakura scarily replied.

"To meet the neighbors!" Tsunade replied, smiling.

The Namikaze house was just as big a Tsunade's, but just a tad bit more family oriented. It stood two stories high, made out of grey-red brick. It was gorgeous.

Tsunade rang the doorbell.

"You'll love them, kiddo." Tsunade said, in a reassuring tone. Sakura looked slightly jittery, but Tsunade gave her an affirming look. Sakura gulped, and sent a prayer for good luck.

A beautiful woman opened the door. Her red hair flowed to her waist. He violet-blue eyes reflected the sunlight beautifully. "Wow...she's beautiful." Sakura whispered.

"Aww, thank you." The red head replied, blushing.

"So, Tsunade, who is the adorable girl?" The red head said.

"This is my niece, Sakura Haruno." Tsunade replied.

"Sakura, this is Kushina Namikaze." Tsunade smilingly said, while looking at Sakura.

"Oh, hello Mrs. Naikaze-Sama" Sakura said bowing.

"Please dear, just call me Kushina. Keep me younger a while longer." Kushina said, laughing.

"Come in, come in!" Kushina said, swinging the door wide open, and stretching her arm out in a welcoming way. Sakura slowly walked in, amazed by the beauty of their living room. It had a few skylights on the ceiling, and a white paint on all the walls, that perfectly blended everything together.

"Is the child home?" Tsunade asked.

"Which one?" Kushina replied, trying to keep a straight face.

Seconds passed until both burst out in boisterous laughter. Sakura joined in as well, understanding the joke. Two knuckle-headed boys to deal with. And one was a married man!

The funny part was, Tsuande, Kushina, and Sakura all thought the same thing, at the same time.

"Naruto is up in his room, and the other one is out on a business trip." Kushina said, still recovering from her laugh-attack.

"Sakura, up the stairs, third door on the right. Just knock." Kushina said, smiling.

Sakura started blushing.

Kushina made a mental note that Sakura easily gets flustered. She'd soon take that into full advantage soon enough.

"Go on kiddo." Tsunade said, giving Sakura a slightly powerful push towards the stairs.

Oh boy, was she going to hold this against her for forever.

Sakura slowly walked up the staircase, when music could be heard. It was a soothing acoustic guitar, with a calming voice singing.

She distinctly knew this song. It was one of her favorites.

He was playing an A Day To Remember song. She had memorized the lyrics so, she naturally sang along.

Sakura knew the next part. The guitar player didn't stop, so she unintentionally joined in from the other side of the door.

Sakura felt good now. Singing had always been a god-like calming factor for her. Not to mention, she loved A Day To Remeber.

She knocked on the door.

A tall blonde boy opened the door. His hair was spiky, and he had golden locks covered his ears. He stood tall, and somewhat muscular. It nearly took her breath away. His bangs wooshed ever-so-slightly when he moved.

"Ummmm, do I know you, miss amazing voice?" The boy asked, laughing.

"I'm Tsunade's niece. Sakura Haruno." She said, smiling.

"Hey, you sing pretty good." Sakura said, pointing to the acoustic guitar of the bed.

"Thanks..." Naruto said, blushing. An awkward silence enveloped the two, their respective blushes growing. And possibly some other things...

"So your granny's infamous niece! I'm Naruto." The boy said hugging the girl.

She was slightly taken aback, but his firm chest, and sweet smell just made her want to stay there forever. Literally, she wouldn't mind, at all.

"Sorry, I'm a hugger." Naruto said laughing. Naruto was jumping for the moon on the inside. His mind was racing three trillion times a minute, and he could hardly avert his stare.

"Nah, it's ok. I don't mind." Sakura replied. She was still all warm and fuzzy inside from that godly hug.

"Here, come on in." Naruto said. He was wearing black jeans, and a plain orange T-shirt, which Sakura just noted clinged to him rather...amazingly.

His room was quite big. To her left, lay a small desk with a laptop, and a computer, along with an Xbox, and some other odds and ends. To her right, a queen sized bed, that had a couch next to it. A large flat screen was directly across from the bed, with a small half has high couch at the bottom of the bed.

Three nice looking guitars rested on racks, on the other side of the bed. A medium sized amp sat there, plugged in. Two longboards hung over top of this bed, like trophies.

"Well, an Ibanez signature series, a Shecter Omen C-1, and a Les Paul. And that Gibson acoustic on the bed. Not bad."

"Uhhhhhhh." Naruto said, he was baffled by the intelligence of this Young Woman. Not only was she beautiful, but she was 'educated'. This was start of a beautiful friendship. And hopefully even more.

"An Apex 40 Diamond Drop, and a Loaded Tan Tien. Apex going on Bears and Otang freestyle wheels, and the Loaded going with a downhill racing setup. Caliber trucks, and some sector 9 racing formula wheels. I'm impressed Naruto, I thought I'd have no one to ride with." Sakura said with a happy smile.

Naruto practically fell over in shock. And he did, but got back up in a flash. It's official, he could kiss the girl. Soon, Naruto...soon.

"I really like you." Naruto said, smiling, and laughing. "And not just because your the only girl that rides in Konoha." He said.

"So, want to go out riding now?" Naruto asked, slightly blushing. He hardly knew the girl, but they got along so well, and had many common interests so far.

"Sure, my board is in the back of Tsunade's car, ill go-" She was cut off, and she was slightly blushing.

"Nah, don't bother. Just take the Loaded." Naruto said, taking it down from its wall mount.

"You sure? My gloves are in the car, and-" Cut off again.

"Here, take these." Naruto said, pulling a navy blue pair of sliding gloves out of his drawer, and tossing it to Sakura.

"Hey, mind if I take you out to eat while we're out?" Naruto asked, casually, as if trying to make as little deal out of it as possible, incase he was rejected.

"Sure." Sakura replied smiling.

The duo rushed down the stairs, gloves on, boards in hand.

"Bye mom, going out on a cruising/date/dinner thing loveyoubye! Naruto said, as he rushed out the door."

Sakura stopped over at Kushina and Tsunade.

"Kushina, he's a keeper. I could get used to being around that cutie." Sakura said, smiling. She was teasing Kushina. Kushina started blushing red.

_'THAT GIRL! SHE...SHE...USED MY OWN PLAN...AGAINST ME!...Clever...'_ Kushina thought. She and Sakura were going to get along like family if she kept this up.

"Tsunade I got my phone, call if you need anything." Sakura said.

She said this so rapidly, leaving no time for the women to object.

She shut the door behind her, and caught up to Naruto who was standing at the edge of the the driveway.

"So, umm, how good are you at this?" Naruto asked.

"Can handle 40 easily. Slide like a pro, too. She confidently replied. She laughed inwardly as Naruto began to slightly drool.

"Thank god." Naruto said, making it a point to discreetly wipe away the droll ex instinct from his mouth.

They hopped on their boards, and didn't even move a leg. They just kept going at a comfortable speed, downhill. That's what's awesome about longboarding. You pump less, cruise more, go faster, and is much more relaxed than skateboarding,

"You should see the view, when we reach the end of the street." Naruto said. Naruto knew the view well. He often sat on the small grass hill that was off to the side of the road, where a monument to the deceased soldiers of Konoha lay. It overlooked the whole village. He'd make it a point to take her there sometime. Just not this time.

They slowly came to a stop at the top of a winding hill, that overlooked all of Konoha.

"Wow." Was all Sakura managed to say.

Our destination is there, pointing towards a lone building, just slightly off what looked like the Main Street.

They casually went down the hill. They picked up speed, and were approaching a U turn, that turned right. Sakura felt her stomach go up in her gut. She'd had done things more dangerous than this hill, and could handle the speed easily, but the feeling was always present.

Naruto crouched lower, picked up speed, and thew his hands on the ground. He broke into a wide slide, his board kicked out. He fluidly made the turn, to see Sakura doing the same. The continued the pattern, every U turn going left then right. And repeating. The winding hill straightened out, into a gentle hill. They eventually stopped, and pulled off to the side of rode

"That was fun." Naruto said.

"Yeah" Sakura said, slightly out of breath.

'No, not now, dammit!' Sakura worriedly thought, as she could feel the lack of oxygen catching up to her. Did she remember her inhaler?

"Hey are you ok?" Naruto concernedly asked. Sakura's breathing hitched, and Naruto immediately knew something was wrong.

Sakura's breathing became short and laborious. Her hand went to her chest, and she tumbled backwards.

Naruto ran over to her side, trying to catch her from falling over. He made it just in time, and let Sakura sit in his lap. She began gasping for air, badly. Her eyelids fluttered open and closed. She began losing consciousness.

_'It was nice meeting you, Naruto...'_ Sakura sadly thought, as she began giving into the darkness that would soon claim her.

"Sakura, answer me!" Naruto's voice started picking up in volume. He was nearly terrified by now. What was going on?

Naruto reached into Sakura's jean's pockets, and began looking for anything that may help her.

Aha!

He found it, a small inhaler. He knew how to use one, because of his friend Lee's asthma. How could he have not seen it sooner?

He pushed it in Sakura's lips, and pressed air into her. Her eyes opened the slightest bit, a sign that she was aware of the extra oxygen presence, preventing her from dying.

He repeated this about five more times, hoping to bring Sakura back from the doors a death. It seemed to be working, and thankfully, her breathing eased, and regained full consciousness.

"Hey, you alright, Sakura?" Naruto asked. He slipped his hand behind her back, and gently pushed her into an upright position. She was leaning on Naruto, her head resting on Naruto's chest. She was obviously terrified.

She began to tear up a bit, and she was shaking a bit. Lightly trembling, was a better fit, though.

"Hey Sakura don't be scared, I'm right here." Naruto said, trying to comfort and calm Sakura down at the same time. She wrapped her arms around Naruto's back, and hugged him tightly.

She lightly cried. "I haven't had an asthma attack in six years...I thought I would...die..." Sakura chocked out. Naruto rubbed her back, which set Sakura at some degree of ease.

"It's alright now. Let's go get some food, and you'll feel a lot better, Kay?" Naruto cooed. Sakura let a small smile embroider her pale face, and looked at Naruto

"Yeah. Lets go get some food." Sakura said, slowly standing up, and walking over to her board. Naruto smiled at her, and watched her pick her board up.

"Yeah, lets go and eat food. I'm starving." Naruto said, going to grab his own board.

-  
>At the restaurant<br>-

"This place is really nice Naruto, it's like formal, but not quite. More like, carefully casual." Sakura said. She ate a ton of food. And she knew the consequence for it. Why did her life have to be so..._fucked_ up!?

"I'm going to run to ladies room, really quick, ok?" Sakura said, in a rather hurrying tone. Naruto didn't catch wind of her hurried tone.

"Alright, I'll be here." Naruto said, smiling.

He watched as the girl wearing slightly faded black Levi skinny jeans, and a plain white V neck walked away, at a near power walking rate.

Sakura opened the bathroom door, went to the farthest stall, and puked.

She was in the stall for five minutes, when she felt content that she wasn't going to vomit anymore. She felt like she threw up her stomach too. She felt like crap. She grabbed a piece of gum from her back pocket, and chewed on it.

She slowly made her way back to the booth Naruto was sitting in.

"Sorry, felt a little sick." She half lied

"You ok? You look kind of pale." Naruto said, reaching his hand over to feel Sakura's forehead. She had a small fever.

"No you aren't..." Naruto said.

"It's alright, I'll call my mom to come get us." Naruto said, before allowing Sakura to object.

Naruto and Sakura stood in the parking lot, when a red Aston Martin Rapide S, pulled up.

"Thanks, mom." Naruto said.

"Sure thing sweetie. Are you ok Sakura?" Kushina asked. She was definitely pale. A red sick blush formed under her cheeks.

"It's cold..." Sakura said, standing.

"Wait here for one sec." Naruto said. He threw the boards in the front seat, and grabbed a big blue comforter from the trunk.

"Hop in." Naruto said, gently.

Sakura sat down in the car, when Naruto scooted down next to her. He wrapped the blanket around her, and him. He put his left arm around her left arm. She leaned her head on his shoulder, and fell asleep, before Kushina even got out of the parking lot.

She had her first asthma attack in six years mom, she's a little nit nervous, and scared." Naruto yawningly said. Naruto closed his eyes and drifted off too.

They remind me of Minato and I.

_He's so warm and good smelling. He's not like that jerk Sasuke. He's compassionate and caring, and pretty muscular at that._

_She's so soft and smooth. She smells like cherries and chocolate. Her hair is so soft too, just like mom's._

_'I'm really falling for her...' _Naruto thought before a peaceful slumber took him.

-  
><strong>Well! This is the main project next to Horizons right now! Stay tuned! Major changes to the story.<strong>


	2. The Promise, The Tears, And The Akatsuki

Sakura slowly woke up. She felt horribly sick, and very cold. When she opened her eyes, she was in a familiar room. To her right were three guitars, and at the end of the bed a flat screen. Most of it was a blur though, courtesy of her pounding headache.

"Uhh. I feel horrible." Sakura said, pulling the blankets closer to her. Not only did her head ache terribly, she was freezing to death. Possibly literally, at that.

To her left, was Naruto, passed out on the far left of the bed. He looked exhausted, with deep circles under his eyes. He was full of energy yesterday. Did he stay up and watch her?

The door slowly opened, to reveal a young red head, and a tall blonde male. Sakura sat up slightly to speak to them.

"Hey Sakura? Tsunade had an emergency call for work. She said to get well, and she will see you tonight. Ok?" Kushina calmly and quietly said, trying not to wake Naruto.

"Ok..." Sakura replied, barley a whisper.

Kushina quietly walked in, and came over to Sakura, handed her two small red white and blue pills. The man followed behind with a small glass of water.

Sakura set the pills in her mouth, and shakily grabbed the water. With a feeble gulp, she swallowed the pills.

"Tylenol should kick in soon, Sakura." The man said. He was an exact clone of Naruto, save the height and longer hair.

"Thanks. Um, Kushina, who is uh?" Sakura tried to say, pointing at the blonde man.

"This is my husband Minato." Kushina said, kissing Minato on the cheek. Minato gave a lopsided grin and scratched the back of his head.

"Get some sleep, Sakura. You look pale as a ghost, and feel hot as a volcano." Kushina said, feeling her forehead.

"Thank you, Kushina." Sakura feebly said.

"Anytime." Kushina said. She gave Sakura a kiss on her forehead, and walked over to Naruto, giving him a light kiss on the cheek. She and Minato quietly closed the door behind them.

"So what do you think of them, Sakura?" Naruto quietly asked. Sakura's heart skipped a beat. She slid back down into the bed and wrapped herself up some more.

"They're nice. They treat me like family." Sakura quietly spoke.

"Tsunade practically took Mom and Dad in when they got married. Some Madara guy pulled a fast one on dad's company. Tsunade was already a good family friend, so she took them in, until Dad won the dispute." Naruto quietly gave reasoning.

"You're Tsunade's niece, so they can't help but think of you as a daughter, or niece, or whatever is close enough." Naruto said, slightly giggling.

"Hey Sakura?"

"Mm?"

"You alright? I don't think I've ever seen anyone get this sick overnight." Naruto asked, eyeing the ghostly Sakura.

"I've had a tiny cold for the past few days. Guess I overdid myself a little." Sakura said, her cheeks retaining the red hue that covered her blush of embarrassment.

"Oh my god. I'm freezing to death." Sakura said, shaking slightly. Her bones felt like ice, and the rest like...something colder than ice. How was it so damn cold?

Naruto turned over in the bed, and slid closer to Sakura. He wrapped his hands around her waist, pulling her close. He used his left hand to wrap the blanket around them.

"Better?" Naruto asked quietly.

"Yeah" Sakura said. Well. That had escalated quickly. Not the hugging thing only, but her body temperature shot up drastically.

Wanting more of the warmth, she wrapped he arms around Naruto's torso, and buried her face in his chest. She was breathing slowly, trying to keep her breath under control.

They both fell asleep.

"Well, our little boy is all grown up now, Minato." Kushina whispered, lightly tearing, her overly emotional mother side coming out.

They had been peeking through the door the whole entire time.

"Yeah. He takes after us a lot. He just gets the 50/50 from us. No extra benefits from mom or dad." Minato whispered.

They quietly shut the door, and walked away.

'_He so comforting. He doesn't smell, he's warm and compassionate, he cares, he's a good person, and we get along so well. Unlike that Sasuke. We may be dating, but I'm ending the line here. Naruto is a better person than you'll ever be, Sasuke.'_

_'She's so soft. She's a little cold, but she's sick, so I mean, you know. Ugh. Well, her eyes are pretty too. Her hair is pointier than moms, but flows just like it. It's soft, and warm to the touch. And not to mention is smells like strawberries. Why am I saying all of this? Am I in...love?'_

It was nearly six o'clock when they fell asleep yesterday night. It was eleven in morning now, the next day. They both slowly woke up at the same time. Now that is what's called a good days sleep.

Sakura's skin tone returned to normal. Her fever went down tremendously overnight/day. She didn't feel as cold. Naruto got all of this, just from feeling her forehead, which Sakura blushed to.

"Well. Good morning, Sakura-Chan." Naruto quietly said.

"Morning Naruto." Sakura quietly replied. She slowly sat up, trying to get her bearings back. It seems the flu attack dimmed down to small sniffles here and there.

"Feeling better? Not cold?" Naruto said, sitting up next to her.

"Well, not anymore, thanks to that hot chest of yours." She said. She paused for a moment, rethinking what she had just said to him. Her face began growing an aura of red.

"I mean umm. Warm, uh, body heat. Uhh." Her face was blushing deeply, and she was stuttering all over the place.

"Well, my chest is warm, and rather hot, apparently." Naruto said. He was giggling a bit. Sakura didn't miss the small blush that spread across his cheeks. She'll have to use that against him some day.

"Well, lets go downstairs and see what's up." Naruto said, getting out of the bed.

"Hey, Tsunade said she would see me later last night..." Sakura said, trailing off.

"Oh yeah, I heard her peek in last night. She had a big grin on her face, whatever that means to you." Naruto replied.

"Oh damn it all. She'll hold that against me. Sakura's first night in Konoha, and she's sleeping with a boy she hasn't even known for a day! Lets go tell that ass boyfriend of hers!" Sakura angrily said.

"You have a boyfriend?" Naruto dejectedly asked. Sakura saw his depressed mood. She said the first thing that could come to her mind.

"An abusive one, yeah. Who right now, I'm going to dump. I won't be seeing his sorry ass anymore while I'm living here." Sakura angrily said. Naruto smiled softly, but his expression changed fast, his anger consuming him.

"If you ever see your boyfriend again, tell him if he so much as glances at you, I will beat the living shit out of him. You got it, Sakura?" Naruto angrily, and very sternly said.

"Naruto, in the last two days alone, you've done more things than Sasuke. You already beat him. He would never sleep with me like that. He would never go to dinner with me. He'd just use me for his 'desires and needs.' Sakura spat.

"Did he ever...go below the belt...?" Naruto quietly asked. Sakura sighed and nodded her head, slowly.

"Yeah...he did...but...I'm still a virgin. But I think if I had spent anymore time out in Kumo, he would have forced me into sex. Wouldn't have been the first time he tried. I always fought back of course, and I always ended getting beat back because of it." Sakura said. Her eyes widened in realization of what she said.

Naruto was nearly infuriated by now. How dare anyone do that to her? _How. Dare. They._ There was only one way to be sure. He lifted Sakura's shirt up to her neck, and counted the near many bruises. She thankfully still had her bra on.

_Five...Eight...Eleven..._ Naruto counted. And that was just what he could see. Imagine her mental state, and the state of things he couldn't see.

"I promise no one will ever hurt you again." Naruto confidently stated. He pulled her into a hug, gripping her tightly and comfortingly. Sakura let a few sobs out, and smiled graciously.

"Thank you." She whispered into his ear. Her response was him holding her tighter. She smiled. Things had been off to a great start.

"Well, let's go downstairs." Naruto said. They walked down the stairs into the living room. Tsunade was sitting down in one of the chairs, talking to Kushina, who seemed rather annoyed.

"Anyways." Tsunade spoke, and looked at Sakura. "Sakura-Chan, you start school on tomorrow, with Naruto." Tsunade said.

"It's Sunday already?" Naruto groaned.

"Naruto, Tsunade, your father and I, are going away on a business trip. We'll be back Wednesday. We're leaving tomorrow morning." Kushina said, which earned a disgruntled rant by Naruto. Naruto walked into the kitchen, which was followed by the sound of cooking.

"Aunt-Tsunade! I just got here, and this is the second time your ditching me!" Sakura said.

"Don't worry, your boyfriend over there will keep you safe, scaredy-cat." Tsunade teasingly said.

Naruto walked over from the kitchen, with a plate. The plate held pancakes, eggs, bacon, and toast. He set the plate down on the table in front of Sakura.

"Did you really make this, Naruto?" Sakura disbelievingly asked.

"My parents do the same thing Tsunade does all the time. Gotta learn to fend for myself, ya know." Naruto said, shooting a glance at his Mother. More like a glare of hatred, but Kushina just stuck her tongue out at him.

"Anyways, why don't you go to the store, and get what's on this list for me?" Kushina asked, handing Naruto a small list.

"Sure, I'll be right back." Naruto sarcastically said, while heading towards the door.

"Oh, and birthday boy, your present is in the driveway." Kushina said, as Naruto closed the door. Kushina smiled to herself.

"It's Naruto's birthday!?" Sakura yelled. Why didn't the Baka tell her? This isn't something you just don't mention!

"And you gave him a pretty good present, kiddo." Tsunade teasingly said. Sakura immediately knew what she was talking about. She decided to take a different approach this time.

"Well, I guess I did." Sakura confidently said, beating down Tsunade's tease. Tsunade glared at Sakura, muttering a small 'little brat' and other friendly words at her.

"AWWWW HELL YEAH!" Naruto screamed from outside.

"What did you get him?" Sakura quizzically asked.

"Nothing much." Kushina said, smiling.

Sakura shot up and sprinted to the door, trying to hop and run, putting her shoes on and opened it.

What she saw was unbelievable.

An Orange Lamborghini Aventador.

"HOLY SHIT!" Sakura yelled.

Naruto looked back to see a stupefied Sakura. He ran towards her, and swooped her off her feet, spinning her around in a hug.

"Woah, dizzy!" Sakura said, laughing.

"Get in!" Naruto said, laughing.

Sakura ran around the front of the supercar, and pulled on the door handle once. The door popped out a bit, and automatically turned upright. She slid into the Italian leather seat, and adjusted the seat a tiny bit, then she pressed a button that looked like a door handle. The door automatically closed. Naruto inserted the key, and the car roared to life.

It easily reversed out of the driveway. He went tearing down the same hill that they rode down on the first day Sakura arrived in Konoha.

"Jesus Naruto, your going to kill us!" Sakura yelled. Naruto just laughed, and continued to drive to what Sakura could only note as 'death driving.'

At the store

Naruto slowly pulled into the mall parking lot. It was massive. It had to be three times the size of the Galleria mall she went to in Buffalo. Her parents had decided to take a trip up to Niagara Falls, which had been pretty cool. The mall was on the way, so they had stopped for a few hours.

"Alright we're here for two things now, the vitamins for my family, and for you."

"Me?" Sakura asked.

"Yup. I know your birthday is coming up next week, and you haven't changed your clothes in two days, so go ahead and get some stuff." Naruto said. They exited the car, and walked into the mall. They started walking into the food court when someone ran up to him, out of breath.

"Naruto...I...Lee, Kiba, Neji...trouble...Akatsuki...jump..." Said a teenager, about Sakura's size. She was a platinum blonde with a long ponytail, and a long bang covering her right eye.

"Ino, slow down, what the hell is going on?" Naruto said, placing his hands on his hands on her shoulder.

"Akatsuki jumped Lee. He's got a few broken bones, and his car is totaled." Ino said, still breathing hard.

"He's in the back parking lot. Neji and Kiba are trying to hold them off.

At that point Sakura could tell Naruto was furious.

"Get the rest of us here, Ino. Tell them to come from the back parking lot, and block the back parking lot exit." Naruto said.

"Naruto, what's going on?" Sakura said, worried now.

"Akatsuki are a rival racing team from the racing league me and my friends are in. They are a bunch of thieves, and cheaters." Naruto said, angrily.

Naruto took Sakura by the hand, and nodded at Ino. They took off sprinting towards the back exit, where the found a group of a near dozen punk-like teenagers beating on three other teenagers.

"Naruto the guys are already on their way. They should be here any second." Ino said.

"Sakura, stay back. If you get caught in this, I won't be able to stand it." Naruto quickly said, running towards the exit.

He sprinted even faster, blasting through the doors. He ran, and hooked an Akatsuki in the face, followed by a backwards roundhouse the the gut to the left of him. Naruto dropped to the floor, and swooped his foot across the pavement, knocking two others. Naruto stopped, and helped the other two teenagers up.

Eight cars came drifting in through the parking lot. The drivers got out of their cars, as fast as they could, running towards their fallen friends. Naruto sprinted full speed for Sakura. She was slightly confused, until she looked behind her. Some blue haired girl was raising a gun towards her.

It all happened so fast. Naruto slid in front of Sakura the same time the girl pulled the gun. The gun may of well been pressed against Naruto. It was less than half an inch from Naruto. The bullet tore through him, and Sakura felt a massive wave of pain in her side.

The bullet went right through Naruto, and into Sakura. Sakura saw a young boy, with wild dark brown hair attack the blue haired girl. He flipped her to the ground, and wrestled the gun out of her control. It went skidding across the floor. The girl used her feet to throw the boy off her, and took off running.

Sakura's vision was getting blurry. The small amount of adrenaline that numbed the pain was gone, as she fell towards the floor. Naruto turned around, and grabbed Sakura, taking the brunt of the fall. His head hit the ground hard, and he fell unconscious with Sakura.

Naruto's gang of friends soon rushed over to the wounded duo. Ino was freaking out. She shakily grabbed her phone and dialed Tsunade's number. Screaming could be heard on the other side. Ino then dialed another number, which involved much more...wordy...screaming.

"Shikamaru...how...are they?" Ino tearily asked the black pineapple-haired boy. Shikamaru slowly shook his head.

"The bullet just missed Naruto's heart. He's internally bleeding, and also bleeding out. Sakura has the bullet lodged in her gut. It's not looking good." Shikamaru grimly stated. She kneeled down next to Naruto and held his hand. A lavender haired girl slowly walked up to Naruto. She kneeled down in front of his head, and let her tears fall.

"Shit...Naruto's heart is slowing down. There the hell are you, hag?" Shikamaru cursed to himself. This were getting worse and worse by the second. The sound of numerous running dootsteps brought his attention to Tsunade and Naruto's parents.

"Shikamaru! What the hell happened!?" Tsunade shouted. He glance at the crying and frantic Kushina, and the upset looking Minato.

"Akatuski...Naruto took a bullet for Sakura. It just missed his heart. He's internally bleeding, and his heart is slowing down. The bullet went clean through, but hit Sakura. It's lodged in her side. I can only assume she's internally bleeding now." Shikamaru calmly said. He let out long breath, and looked back to Naruto.

If they didn't get him to the hospital, he could die. No.

He would die.

Right on cue, paramedics arrived. Naruto and Sakura were carried of into the ambulance, before it screeched away. Kushina was having a breakdown, and everyone was trying to calm her down.

"Naruto will be fine, Kushina. He's been through worse." Tsunade said, letting out a breath.

Kushina nodded and cried into Minato some more. Minato looked over to the gang and sighed.

"C'mon guys...let's go see Naruto and Sakura..." He quietly said. With numerous slow and quiet nods, they made their way to the cars, and drove off towards the hospital.

-  
><strong>I love, you love, we all love fast updates. :3 Well, definitely a major change in the story! Expect the next one today or tomorrow! I'd also like to get some of my Horizons chapter started. I'm not entirely sure what to do, so I may just work on this for a while. Feel free to PM or Review any ideas you may want to incorporate into my story! I always love it when the fans help write the story. That way everyone gets a piece of what they want the most. As always, review! Oh, and to the guest reviewer, there will be many more songs included in this fic. I'll be sure that you'll 'love' them.<strong>

**Anyways, please review! And guests please leave names!  
>-Love letters are accepted as well.<strong>


	3. Flatline! Rejection!

To say everyone at this point was worried was an understatement. After arriving at the hospital, the doctors had shooed everyone away. They'd periodically give updates on the well-being of Naruto and Sakura. Sakura had been stabilized after a few short hours, but Naruto was another story. The bullet skimmed a pulmonary artery, and part of his right atrium, near where the two connect.

His chances of surviving were terribly slim. He had already been in surgery for six hours. Minato was going through hell and back trying to keep his wife calm. The rest of the gang had sullen expressions. Hinata and Ino were especially worried. When Naruto was a little kid, they were friends. They were like brother and sister.

Same could be said for Kiba and Shikamaru. They had been with him from the start. They could only hope for the best. Naruto had always pulled through tough situations before. Whether it be a race, a fight, or anything else, he pulled through. There was no way in hell he couldn't make it now.

-  
>Operating room<br>-

Naruto flatlined. Tsunade was very concerned at this point. They had gotten some shrapnel from the bullet out, but a little remained if they used the defibrillator on him, the movement could let shrapnel into the bloodstream.

"Fuck...alright, we're going to have to risk it. Start trying to revive him." Tsunade commanded. Multiple doctors and nurses shuffled around, getting the necessary equipment. Turning to the med student in the back of the thankfully large operating room, she looked the girl over.

"Go inform his family. Explain the situation. They need to be prepared if he doesn't make it." Tsunade quietly said. The girl nodded.

"Don't worry Tsunade-Sama. It looks like he has a lot of people praying for him. He's a strong boy. I'm sure he'll make it." The med student reassured, while walking out the doors. Tsunade smiled quickly at the girl's reassurance.

"Where's the defibrillator!? Let's move, people!" Tsunade bellowed, the pace of the room increasing thousand-fold.

-  
>ReceptionWaiting Area

All eyes shot up in anticipation when the med student approached the group. She took a deep breath.

"The bullet pierced part of hit right atrium and pulmonary arteries. There's a small amount of shrapnel lodged in. Naruto's heart has stopped. They're risking using the defibrillators on him. His chances of making are slim to none..." The girl quietly said. Kushina immediately began to sob uncontrollably into Minato, who had been silently shedding a few tears himself. He wanted to be Kushina's shoulder right now, be he couldn't. He could just hope for the best.

Hinata and Ino openly cried into Kiba and Shikamaru, who were on the verge of tears himself. Jiraiya stood against the wall, his eyes closed, and looked away.

"There's always a chance though. He has a lot of people praying for him. And from how I heard he took the bullet, I don't think he's intending to leave her yet. It's not his time. If it came down to it, if he was stable, his heart could be damaged. We could need a heart transplant. I'd like for all to keep that in mind. The odds of it are slim, but it may be a grim reality." The med student explained. Faces perked at the news of this. He did have a chance.

Just then, Tsunade stormed into the lobby, her poker face on. Everyone stared at her blood covered apron, but waited for the answer of the millennium.

"I don't believe it, but his body has pushed the shrapnel out of his heart. Nothing like this has ever happened before, but the shrapnel has literally fallen off his heart, and through the rest of the wound. He's stabilized, and his heart tissue had already regrown. Though, it was an extremely small amount of tissue. Only two or three millimeters, those three pieces of shrapnel were."

"He has the fastest healing body I've ever seen. I can't even begin to explain it. We've closed the wound up, and he's completely stable. We'll keep him under for a few days, so his muscle can heal some. I'd say he need a week and a half of rehab, then he'll be all clear." Tsunade finished, letting out a long sigh of relief.

Kushina fainted into Minato, who gently held her. He smiled at his unconscious wife. The rest of the gang all smiled in relief.

"Sakura is alright to go and see now. She should be waking up by now." Tsunade noted. Minato stood up and positioned Kushina on his back, piggybacking her. He notioned his head at the gang, who promptly stood up to go check on Sakura.

-  
>Sakura's room<br>-

Sakura had been awake for a little while now. They had moved her into the recovery rooms. Her wound was hardly severe, even if was a gunshot. What was left of the bullet just impacted muscle, and was easily removed. She continuously fiddled with her long hair, often running it across her lips, feeling it's softness. It was a weird habit, but it was calming to her.

Her attention was diverted to the door when the gang walked into the large recovery room. Sakura lightly laughed at the unconscious, and slightly drooling Kushina. Minato sighed and set her down in a chair next to the bed.

"Well, Naruto made history today. There was shrapnel stuck in his heart near the right atrium and pulmonary artery. His body rejected it, almost, and pushed it out. It nearly immediately healed where it was lodged in the heart afterwards. He's going to be absolutely fine." Minato explained. Sakura wiped her tears away and smiled.

"We'll be back to bring you home in a few days, Sakura-Chan. Until then, rest up." Minato said. With a few words of fast recovery from the gang, she smiled, and attempted to fall asleep.

-  
>One week later<br>-

Sakura was driving with Tsunade from the hospital. Naruto had just been dismissed. He immediately killed Sakura with a hug, which she had graciously returned. The two sat in the back of the car enjoying the silence between the two.

"Alright now. Tomorrow's Monday, which means you both have school tomorrow. To hell with that I day, though. Naruto may have gotten out of rehab early, but I want him taking it easy. Which knowing him would include rotting his brain on iRacing or whatever the hell else you play." Tsunade said.

"As for you missy, I have to figure out how the hell I will explain this to your parents. Until then, you'll stay with Naruto. Minato, Kushina and I may have been lucky in postponing that business meeting, but we have to leave tonight. I know you guys are recovering slowly and surely, but I don't want you two to be left alone. We should only be gone five days at the most." Tsunade explained. While she could just shoot the board for doing this to her and the Namikazes, meetings were meeting.

Which meant the damn things always happened one way or another.

Tsunade would make sure to reign a thousand Hells upon the board the following day. Things were said, people were broken, and furniture rained from the Namikaze tower that day. The day in infamy, where a board member was thrown from a ten story balcony into a small pool hundreds of feet below.

**_-  
>Ok guys, just a short filler I wanted to add in. Sorry for late the update, but I wanted to get something out before I get loaded with homework again. I'll maybe be doing a 1k word chapter for each day that Naruto and Sakura stay home from school. Maybe a 2.5k one and include two days per chapter? Also, I'm not rushing this rewrite. They'll realize that someone may POSSIBLY be between them, but expect some upcoming angst and dark confessions. Muwahaha.<em>**

**_You see the giant text box below us? Do me a favor. Click it. Done doing that? Write a short review, or a damn novel about the chapter. That magic box is there for a reason._**

**_Mystogan *Hands everyone magic box and pen*_**

**_Remember kids, when Mystogan offers you strange magic things, take them. Why you ask?_**

**_They're fucking magical! Just like friendship!_**

**_No. I refuse to resort to Bronies. I'll just kidnap other anime characters and use them in my witty and hilarious Author's notes._**


	4. These Things Heal

_**Hurrrrroooooo guys! I got sidetracked writing this, and read a few fics. I'm promising that I won't start anything new until Horizons is Nearly complete. I have some an upcoming story written. Expect a NatsuXErza one, and another NaruSaku one.**_

_**Update: Yeah...started something new... :3**_

_**Special thanks for tradgicrose for the help.**_

-

Naruto and Sakura were seeing their family off, chuckling at Tsunade's absolute livid-ness. With one last group hug, the family took off, leaving a stranded Naruto and Sakura behind. They plopped down on the black leather sofa and to watch some TV. After a while of nothing being on, Sakura grew tired of Naruto's channel surfing and got up to grab the two Xbox One controllers on the TV stand, and handed one to Naruto.

Naruto let his curiosity get the better of him taking the firm plastic in his hand. He looked at his pink haired friend with interest. He attempted to look away, but couldn't bring himself to advert his eyes. Her bewitching long pink hair, the enchanting emerald eyes...he found himself inching closer and closer to the girl on the couch next to him, but jerked himself back.

"Hey, Naruto?" Sakura asked, suddenly looking at her blond haired friend.

Naruto shook himself out of his small trance and tried to regain his composure enough to formulate coherent words.

"Why?..." She inquired sullenly, her eyes downcast. Naruto let the question hang on the tense air. He let his thoughts rack up, trying to give some rationality to the question. Why did he do it?

"I...don't know..." Naruto truthfully answered, unconsciously holding his hand over his heart. Right where he had taken the bullet for her.

"You could of just let me die, Naruto...you have friends and family to live for...all I don't have anyone anymore. I have horrible adoptive parents that took me in after my real ones died. That's all I have Naruto. You, you, have everything! You have friends! People who care about you! I don't! I-i-i-i-i...I don't know anymore, Naruto!" Sakura screamed, throwing herself into his chest. She wailed into him, her body shaking violent and sad.

Forgetting his injuries, she crushed him with a hug, trying to just bury herself deeper into him. Naruto could hear the sniffles and could feel the tears escaping her eyes into his shirt. He hated it when she cried. He absolutely hated it. And he couldn't help but feel he was also responsible for these tears.

He wrapped his arms around her fragile frame and pulled her up and closer to him, trying to bring any comfort he could to her. His nose sunk into her pink locks, filling his senses with the scent of her shampoo.

Why?

Why?

Why?

The question echoed and echoed in his head, over and over. Why did he do it? Was it instinct? No...was it courage? No...it was an instant decision...it was...

Love...

But she could never love him, right? He'd only let her get hurt like the other week...he...was...

"I'm...a danger to you..." He whispered aloud. A very loud smack was heard, after which Naruto's large hand caressed his stinging cheek.

Her eyes held an ashamed glare, then a humorless laugh followed, "I'm more of a danger to myself than you are to me."

"What do you mean?" he questioned, not sure how she could be dangerous except to his sensitive cheeks.

He watched as she curled up into a ball on the seat next to him. Obviously weighing what all she should reveal to him.

"When I was young, even before my parents died, everyone use to tease me. I was shy and not very confident so I was an easy target. The teachers told my parents that every few years a class of kids come through and they're just full of mean spirited kids who feed off each other. It didn't matter how they shuffled the girls around to the different classes, they always found me," she explained, twirling a strand of pink around a small finger.

"What did they pick on you about?" he wondered. Looking her over he didn't find any flaws. He never could even if he tried.

"Anything, everything, they told me to speak up, I was too quiet, then told me to shut up, because I talked too much. I was a freak cause of my hair, my eyes were too green and my forehead could land a plane. They found faults in me at every turn, I-i-i was just worthless," her voice became more strained as she spoke, a small tear falling at the memories. A small but steady stream of them started to flow down her face.

It broke his heart, something in him demanded action, suddenly he was on his feet pulling her into his arms.

"You are not worthless, you are worth everything," he breathed as his lips sealed over her beautiful forehead. Her eyes widened shock. He let herself sit there, feeling the softest of lips on her forehead. The tears continued to fall at a much faster rate.

Sakura had never cried in front of people since she left elementary school. Never. How did could Naruto have this effect on her? How could he just bring out these locked away emotions from within her? And most importantly of all...

Why did he care?

"So what's this about your parents, Sakura-Chan?" Naruto asked. He rested his chin on the top of hear head, her scent completely overwhelming him.

He felt her trembles increase dramatically. She began to curl into a tight ball, trying to shut herself off from him. He gently grabbed her wrists and pulled them from her defensive form. She suddenly froze, icing over.

She could remember it clearly. The horrid stench of alcohol. Her curled form in the corner of the room. Her intoxicated foster parents scouring for her in their drunken rage. Her father found her, and tightly grasped her wrists, pulling them away from her. He gave her a forceful slap across the cheek. The memory was so vivid.

Naruto was still holding onto her wrists, until he felt Sakura squirming in front of him.

"No, no, no, don't touch me! Get away! Dad! Don't!" Sakura pleaded through sob-filled tears. She kicked and flailed at Naruto. Her foot came across Naruto's head, and he fell back onto the floor, his head hitting part of the coffee table on the way down.

"W-w-what have I done!? How could I!? How!?" Sakura screamed through her heart-wrenching sobs. She fled off the couch and ran up the stairs. She ran for Naruto's room, and locked the door behind her when she barged in.

She looked around the room. A glint of metal caught her eye. A pocket knife. She scrambled for it, and held it close to her chest. She rushed, to the end of the bed and flipped the knife open.

"I hurt him. I hurt the only person who cares about me so much. I I...I need to face the sin...I'm sorry, Naruto..." She said through more sobs. As if second nature to her, she dug a deep cut into her wrist, slowly dragging it. She let out a scream of pain. She'd make sure it would be deep.

A soft sigh brushed by her cherry balm lips as a soothing feeling spread from the silver metal slicing open her pale skin. A calm swept over her as the blood trickled down her forearm. This was how she found peace after painful memories bombarded her.

"All I ever am is a problem! Why can't I be normal?" She whimpered to herself. She instinctively grabbed the big blue comforter off Naruto's bed and wrapped it around herself, letting her emotions spill onto it.

She heard footsteps behind her. Looking up to see the boy who owned the room, she handed him part of the comforter. He sat next to her, and wrapped his arms around her. She felt his soft hand reach to the side of her head and pull her to his chest. He gently lifted up her bleeding wrist, and gently kissed the new scar.

"How'd you get in here?" she questioned staring at the far wall unseeing, all her attention on the boy who had no sense of personal space, but she wouldn't have it any other way.

"I will not admit to how many times I've had to break into my own room because I locked myself out," a little chuckled tickled her head.

"I just want the pain to stop," she strangled a cry as he began to clean her arm showing all the scars of different sizes.

"Nobody will ever hurt you again, Sakura-Chan. I'll always be there for you.

Ino...Hinata...Kiba...Neji...Lee...Shikamaru...Tenten...Choji...Sai...Shino...We're all here for you. We'll all share your pain, Sakura-Chan..." She felt a familiar pair of lips kiss her forehead and his warming embrace take her again.

It was going to be a long five days.


End file.
